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Bug Out Locations

I am not sure if this is the best place for this but I am curious if there are others out there who are considering a camper as a "homestead" in the event things get really bad and there is a need to "get out of Dodge". I have been thinking about it for some time now and the other things that go along with it such as water source, power, and perhaps some form of cover. Any advice would be appreciated.

While I like the mobility of a camper, I'd like to remind you that bugging out is generally not something you do long term. Generally speaking, the safest and most reliable way to bug out is to get out of town as quickly as possible, and go stay with some relatives a few states over until the natural disaster clears itself. To think otherwise is a romanticized notion, and while "running to the woods" can work, there are few realistic situations that would call for that level of bug-out.

So, is a camper best? I'd prefer a motorcycle to be honest, or a small car that is unattractive to looters and gets good gas mileage, so you can get to whoever you are staying with quickly and without hassle.

I am to misbehave - Captain Mal

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, you aren't entitled to your own set of facts. - Anonymous

I've lived in a camper-van, a pop-out and a tent, and heck, it never hurts to have a solid shelter.

If I were considering one, I'd look for:

Firstly: whatever I could get my hands on that was worth using,

Secondly: something light and small enough to be efficient to move.

You may never need it for 'bugging-out' from an emergency, but they sure make a summer at the lake move comfortable.

Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice - Grey's Law.
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RV units are very nice and have many features that should be part of every BOL, primarily the redundant power sources. My last one had AC/12v and propane options for heat, light and refregeration. You also have built in sanitation and water storage.

They make a good unit to park on your land and work around and would make good short term BOL shelters.

I would not wish to be banished to the existance of a gipsy constantly in search of a safe place to park, hidden from the zombie horde. An RV is impossible to hide and a very large slow target when on the move. Remember the old days when folk traveled by wagon train, there was a reason for that, safety in numbers.

I would also not decieve myself over the welcome you will get for parking and hiding your mobile BOL. People have some pretty firm ideas about the use of private property. I would not want to wake up one morning and find one parked on my place.

If the situation has deteriated to the point that you can just park anywhere you please, then there will be plenty of abandoned houses to squat in.

I have yet to see one of these "bug out senerios" that was well thought out. As stated earlier, best to have a perminent location prepared and move to it as quickly as possible, or live on it. Some of us cut out losses years ago and did that.

If I am ever found dead on a jogging trail someone inform the authorities that I was murdered elsewhere and dumped there.

Couple of thoughts on a RV as a BOV/BOL.
You will need a RV, this can be anything form a small trailer to a full blown self contained.......
Remember, the bigger, the more gear you can haul....
But,.....mileage/range will suffer, hard to maneuver in many traffic conditions you may encounter, be it highway or off road.

Even a small trailer, pop-up, small self contained one has the tendency to load it with gear, ..."So it is ready to go"...but if you have to drop it off or abandon it, you need to off load the gear.......Your BOB should be with YOU, what you can carry.

Then there is the "where is the coffee?....Oh I ran out, borrowed the camper coffee, and forgot to replace it"....This happens, be aware.

Now there is the little problem of "Where to go?"....Nice to have you own acreage, within a one fuel tank range....and several plan B, plan C, plan D....Ways of getting there.

Avoid cities, check rivers and such of alternate routes, (bridges)....It don't have to be Zombies, just high water stops you real fast.

Also good to have alternate locations in case your primary BOL is comprised....Lots of reasons.

If you do have acreage, you can park something on it, the route we took.. 1988, RV 1990.....but we didn't know we were bugging out, no one was doing that yet just wanted a "place up north", and the start of a "homestead" (NOT a compound).

Now you have to deal with mice, ants, break-ins.......This was the start of the 55 gal drum cache...supplies away fro the trailer, sealed.....still in use to some extent to this day.

Keep in mind at the time there was a pop up camper (different one), back packing/canoe, hunting camp gear and rendezvous camping gear available and in use.....Pretty much 40+ weekends + 4 weeks vac.... out of 52 per year.
You can say we were Bugging out all the time........But we just called it "Recreation"

The humble start of "The Place" 1990 to 2005, lots of hunting seasons,fishing canoe trips, homesteading, building and planning.

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I am not sure if this is the best place for this but I am curious if there are others out there who are considering a camper as a "homestead" in the event things get really bad and there is a need to "get out of Dodge".

If things got "really bad" a camper just leaves you stuck on maintained or semi maintained roads no where to hide. Like shooting fish in a barrel or people in a box.

For more general use campers are getting hard to park these days many forest roads are getting shut down and free camping spots are turning into maintained(outhouse and a ranger) $18+ a nite.

Well, yall have alot of interesting thoughts. I have a 32 foot bumper pull that sleeps 10. I am thinking of placing on family land out in the country, not near any major roads for sure. I am also thinking of putting a cover of sorts over it to not only help conceal it but to have a means of rain collection. Ideally I would have a well drilled and run a solar pump for it. For now I keep my camper at my in-laws where they have a large covered area for their fifth wheel and would easily accommodate mine as well. As far as traveling around during some bad event, no, not going to happen.

all a big rv is is a treasure ship to be grabbed, rv's arnt called land yahts for nothing ive lived in boats and rv's they are both a movable storehouse for supplys which means you have to protect them and posibily kill to keep control of it if shtf are u willing to do that someone else will kill u to get your hoard

I must be permanently "BUGGED OUT" as I live in the middle of nowhere ...no hydro grid nearby so we on panels and backup honda genny ...we have all the modern conveniences but cant us em all the time as the sun doesnt keep up in winter lol ...other than that we are bugged out living happily ..

I must be permanently "BUGGED OUT" as I live in the middle of nowhere ...no hydro grid nearby so we on panels and backup honda genny ...we have all the modern conveniences but cant us em all the time as the sun doesnt keep up in winter lol ...other than that we are bugged out living happily ..

If you get some deep cycle batteries and maybe a power inverter you can run stuff all winter long.

If you get some deep cycle batteries and maybe a power inverter you can run stuff all winter long.

i guess I shoulda explained better ....lol .. I have a 24 volt 3,500 watt inverter and 12 /.. 6 volt solar batteries .. BUT they dont keep up to demand always .. so three more panels are going up .. they are 235 watt mono .. they charge at 36 volts and work very well .. sorry bout the confusion !

To me, it really depends on what you're bugging out for. If you live in wildland fire country and might need to grab the wife, kids, pets and poultry in a hurry, an RV might be the perfect solution because you can have it pre-packed, add a lot of last minute things like your laptops, clothes, and other valuables with plenty of room, and arrive at a local campground that's well away from the smoke and danger and still be in a familiar setting. The same kind of bugout would be ideal for a hurricane and it's unlikely to be phased by a major earthquake since it can rock and roll on its own with no connection to land to disturb it.

As far as EROL/TEOTWAWKI scenarios, well, as others have mentioned, there's a road leading right to it, but there's a road leading to most buildings, too. Personally, I'd only trust it as a end of the world bug out if I knew where I was going and that place could be well secured. Just heading out into the national forest is not a plan. You should know how you're going to get there, have provisions, both short-term and long in place (perhaps even a little permaculture developed in advance), and know the lay of the land well enough to know its weaknesses in any season.

If you get some deep cycle batteries and maybe a power inverter you can run stuff all winter long.

ok .. i was asked if i would post pics of my meager solar / wind system .....i will also try to post pics of other parts of our homestead to maybe help other folkkjs with idesas .. here goes !IMG_1652.jpgIMG_1654.jpgIMG_1655.jpgIMG_1658.jpg

FIRST PICTURE IS SIMPLY MY EARLY MORNING LIGHTING ( COal OIL LAMP) the rest are a portion of the battery system .. 24 volt system presently hooked up to a 1500 watt inverter ... ( big one died) if anyone is interested in seeing the rest of the homestead we live in full time just ask .. IE animal raising .. wind power ... 12 volt pumps ..hating water ... we have the inside of a 40 Gallon HWT standing beside our woodstove .. hot water with no extra energy beiing consumed ..lots of self learned tips n tricks .. cheers folks and have a great day ..

Last edited by birdman6660; 02-26-2013 at 07:15 AM.
Reason: not finished !